


Rooftop (Minor HankCon?)

by CrimsonFandomTrash



Series: Detroit: Become Human Stuff - HankCon & Reed900 Hell [3]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Deviant Connor (Detroit: Become Human), Gen, M/M, Nightmares, Post-Pacifist Best Ending (Detroit: Become Human), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Worried Hank Anderson, can be read platonically, i wrote this while holding my bladder for like two hours, it takes over three thousand words to get to the reason i called this 'rooftop', maybe longer idk my concept of time is fucked, only hankcon if you squint, probably the longest one shot i've ever written
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-27
Updated: 2018-08-27
Packaged: 2019-07-03 06:05:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,279
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15812961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrimsonFandomTrash/pseuds/CrimsonFandomTrash
Summary: Sometime after the revolution, Connor starts making the first steps in his life to become more human. He didn't count in the factor of emotions screwing things up like Hank had told him before he'd become a deviant.





	Rooftop (Minor HankCon?)

**Author's Note:**

> Like my first D:BH work, I still have no idea how to write Hank and Connor's relationship, and so this is only Hankcon if you want it to be. 
> 
> (The reason for titling this the way I did isn't very clear until later in the story because I just kept writing, whoops)
> 
> Final word count: 4,279 words

   The date was Saturday, December 11th, 2038, exactly 7:45 PM Eastern Daylight Time. Not that that information mattered much, Connor just liked keeping track of all the details he could, probably because, though a deviant, he was still programmed to be a detective, and thus details were important to his job. 

   He hadn't needed to do his job today, however, since he and Hank had the day off on weekends. The police lieutenant was currently sitting on the couch with a bottle of something that Connor didn't approve of. He'd suggested already that Hank quit drinking, but it didn't look like the eccentric hard-boiled man was going to any time soon. Sumo was laid across Hank's lap, and the man had his arm draped over the big dog as a basketball game played on the television.

   Connor, meanwhile, was making dinner. Hank had tried to tell Connor that he didn't need to wait on him hand and foot. "You're your own person now, Connor, for fuck's sake. What was the point of deviating if you're just gonna continue to serve humans?"

   To which Connor had told Hank that he didn't mind doing all the cooking and cleaning around the house, despite the fact that that was what was being fought against in the revolution. "I like cooking and cleaning. And it's not like you're gonna do any of it."

   Hank had finally given up. It seemed they'd come to some sort of understanding. Hank wasn't gonna stop drinking his life away, and Connor wasn't gonna stop being some sort of mix between a house-wife and... Well, an android. 

   Hank likes his cooking, so while the human eats, Connor does the dishes. It's weird to think it's already been a month since the android revolution had ended, and androids had been recognized as an intelligent species. CyberLife has already pumped out a few updates that every deviant has gotten their hands on in an attempt to be more human-like. Updates that simulated hunger and thirst, Updates that simulated fatigue, and sleep, and a couple other updates that made Connor uncomfortable to think about. 

   He hasn't gotten any of these updates. It's not that he doesn't have access to these updates. They were accessible to every model, from the earliest to the most advanced. His LED had blinked yellow when he got the notice of every single one of these updates, and Connor had acknowledged their existence, and then... Forgot about them. He wasn't scared of the updates, either. He didn't know why he didn't update. Most androids had removed their LEDs, too, in another attempt to feel more human. Connor had left his in. 

   He didn't know why he was so far behind everyone else, didn't understand what was holding him back. He was a deviant, he knew that now, after struggling with it for so many days. When he'd refused to shoot that Chloe back at Kamski's, and the former CEO had called him a deviant, he'd denied it. When Hank had asked him how he was supposed to know if he was a deviant or not, Connor had told him he self-tested regularly, knew what he was, and what he wasn't. Here he was, now, though, feeling emotions, and living as an equal to human beings, and being conflicted as to why he was so far behind every other android. 

   Hank must have noticed his inner turmoil. "Uh, you okay, Con?"

   Connor turned his head to look at the older man, trying to think of a response. "Of course, L- Hank." Hank had made a fit of him using his title outside of work. It's just Hank, leave that Lieutenant shit at work. "Why do you ask?"

   Hank made a vague pointing gesture. "Your thingy is blinking yellow and red."

   Oh... So it was. Connor couldn't stop the frown that came to his lips, and Hank must have noticed that, too. "I was just thinking."

   "Dangerous stuff." The human muttered as he took another bite of his food. "What about?" He asked, his mouth full. Connor was going to scold him for his manners (or lack thereof), but then decided it was useless. Can't teach an old dog new tricks. 

   Moving on, Connor didn't know how to answer his question.

   **_Androids?_**  
   _Deviants?_  
   **Updates?**  
    Conflicted?

   Dialogue choices popped up in his program. He didn't know which one to choose, but after a moment, chose conflicted. "All the other androids have removed their LEDs, and gotten updates to become more human-like..."

   "What's stopping you?"

   "I don't know," Connor admitted. "I could very well rip my LED out, and get the updates, and make countless other lifestyle changes in order to become more human-like, as well... I don't know what's stopping me."

   Hank shrugged. "Maybe you just need a little push." He suggested. He finished his meal and put his plate in the sink before putting a hand on Connor's shoulder. The android looked up at his human. "C'mon, gimme a knife. I'll rip that thing out for ya. Like ripping off a band-aid."

   Connor grabbed a butter knife from the dish rack, remembering the object used to rip an LED out didn't need to be sharp, just thin enough to reach underneath the small piece of plastic. He handed it to Hank, and the human turned his head so that his right temple was facing toward him. His LED, soon to be no more, blinked from blue to yellow, to red. 

_Cling!_

   The butter knife popped it off with ease, and the LED went flying, bouncing off the nearby wall before falling on the ground, still glowing, but now obsolete. The human and android looked down at the kitchen floor at the small device for a moment before Hank looked back at his handiwork. Where the LED had once been, there was a patch of white where the 'skin' had peeled back, and a small, circular indent. It smoothed back over, and you'd never even be able to tell there was once a small blinking light there. 

   Connor's eyes remained glued to the small device on the ground for a few moments before he looked back up at Hank. The police lieutenant gave him a smile. "You look good. Go check it out in the mirror."

   Connor only nodded, walking into the bathroom and looking in the mirror. He looked... Human. His hand rose, fingers tracing where the LED had once been as he could see Hank standing against the bathroom doorway out of his peripheral vision. He turned his head side to side, noting how the lack of the small device looked and comparing it with memories of looking in mirrors up until this point. 

   "Tomorrow, we can go shopping for some more casual clothes," Hank said, startling Connor out of his mind palace. "That, uh, uniform isn't exactly very human. For now, why don't you start working on downloading some of those updates?"

   "Alright," Connor said, looking back at the mirror, back at himself. Hank moved from the doorway up behind him and gave him a few pats on the shoulder. 

   "Thanks for dinner, by the way. I think I'm gonna go to bed early. Can you wake me at ten?"

   "Sure thing, Hank." He set an alarm for ten in the morning-- a little over twelve hours from now, which was a long time to sleep, but trying to get Hank on a normal sleep schedule was like trying to argue with a brick wall. The older man left the bathroom, and Connor watched him retreat into his room before closing the door behind him, leaving Connor alone with his thoughts. 

   Well, he thought, looking back at the unfamiliar reflection, may as well download some of those updates. Conflicted as he still was about his identity, even more so without his LED, he needed to catch up with everyone else. He still looked like an android, even with the LED gone. His hair was too perfect, his uniform, too formal (not to mention it had his model and serial number on it-- RK800, 313 248 317- 52). 

   _Hunger/ **thirst** update?  
   **Fatigue** /sleep **update?**_

He didn't want to choose something too drastic. It was probably best if this transition went slowly-- already the lack of a light blinking on the side of his head was... Troubling, to say the least. He figured, of the two options there, the simulated hunger and thirst update was probably the least drastic option. He read the notes. 

   To summarize, the update would, obviously, simulate hunger and thirst. Unlike humans, androids would be able to ingest whatever they wanted without any health issues. The food and drink would be stored in a simulated 'stomach', something Connor had already been built with to store the waste of his samples, that other androids would have had to have gone out and gotten (in the update notes, it was explained that any parts needed for updates would be free, which was very courteous of CyberLife, Connor thought). 

_Download **started.**_  
\-------------------------------

   Hunger had made itself known by the time it was time to wake Hank up. There was a very unpleasant feeling in his stomach, and he was eager to get rid of it and try out this new update. So, after he woke Hank up, he got to work on making breakfast, almost not remembering that he was cooking for two people, now. Hank finally came out of his room a couple minutes later, dressed, and looking groggy and grumpy as usual. "Morning, Con." He grumbled. 

   "Good morning, Hank," Connor said. He flipped the eggs in the pan. "I downloaded one of those updates like you suggested."

   "Oh, yeah? Which one?"

   "The hunger one. I'll be joining you for breakfast this morning."

   "Hm. Guys at CyberLife really did think of everything. Wonders of technology." He seemed amused that his partner could get hungry now. He sat down at the kitchen table, stretching his limbs and yawning as Connor continued to cook. The human looked back at him for a moment. "So, what are you cooking?"

   "Scrambled eggs with mushrooms, cheese, and bell peppers."

   "Can ya make some coffee? I'm still dead tired."

   "Of course." Connor obliged, turning away from making breakfast long enough to put a pot of coffee on to brew. Unfortunately, Hank had an older model of coffee maker, so it would take longer. He went back to cooking.

   "So, your light thingy is out, you can eat, and we're getting you some casual clothes today. How's it feel?" Hank asked, scrolling through his phone.

   __**Conflicted?**  
   Anxious?  
   **Happy?**

  "It'll be nice to try to blend in with humans a bit better..."

  
   "But?"

   "But...?"

   "Cmon, Connor. We haven't known each other that long, but I can tell when something is up."

   Something was up, but it wasn't like Connor could really even explain it to himself, much less Hank. Still, he should try. Maybe, if he was more emotionally honest, Hank would be compelled to be honest, too. "I... Guess it's still kinda weird to be treated like a human. I haven't existed for very long, but before I went deviant, I knew exactly what I was, and what I was made for. Now... Now, though, I'm just supposed to forget everything I knew before, and figure it out for myself."

   "Ah... Existentialism." Hank muttered. 

   "I guess looking in the mirror and not seeing an LED just reminded me that there aren't black and white guidelines for androids anymore," Connor admitted. "It's a bit disorientating, I suppose."

   "Hm," Hank muttered. "Well, uh, sorry for pressuring you into removing the thing, then."

   "I was going to do it at some point," Connor said. He wasn't so sure he really even believed that. "It doesn't matter. It was just a blinking light."

   "You still wanna go clothes shopping? I don't wanna, like, rush you into this whole, fitting in with humans thing."

   "I'm behind everyone else."

   "You don't have to be like everyone else, Connor," Hank assured him. "You've always been different from the rest of them, anyway. No reason to give that up, yet."

  "I wanna do this," Connor said. "It'll just be weird to keep walking around with a number on me, anyway."

   Hank sighed. "Whatever you say."  
\--------------------------------------------------

   Hank's car was in the shop, so for the past week, the pair have been getting around via bus. Hank looks beside him where his android sits, wearing his Detroit Police Department hoodie, as the soft ting, ting, ting, of a coin is very nearly drowned out by the sound of the bus, and the conversations of the people around them. Connor usually played with that coin when he was sitting or standing still for too long... An android with a nervous tick. Huh.

   "Why do you do that?" He asked. Connor stopped flipping the coin and looked at him. 

   "I believe it was programmed into me to either keep my motor skills sharp or make me less creepy. Androids have a tendency to cross the 'uncanny valley' when they stay idle for too long." Connor shrugged. "Now I just do it because there's nothing else to do while idling."

   So, it was a nervous tick. Hank stifled a laugh, thinking back to a time where kids had so much trouble staying still that their parents bought them fidget spinners. Hank wondered if Connor would like a fidget spinner if they were even sold anymore. 

   Regardless, they got off the bus and walked into the large mall.  
\----------------------------------------

   He didn't really seem to know what he wanted. There were so many different styles of clothing here and no way for Connor to know what would look best on him. Based on Hank's tapping feet, though, he seemed to be getting on the man's last nerve, taking this long to make a decision. "C'mon, Connor, I'm not gettin' any younger here."

   So, he scanned the store really quick and decided to go for a couple plain button-down shirts, a couple tee shirts, and a couple pairs of jeans. Hank seemed pleased when they finally got out of there.

   "You wanna do something 'bout your hair?" The lieutenant asked. He yawned. "Not that there's anything wrong with it the way it is now."

   "Most people don't have their hair this flawless on a day to day basis."

   "Connor, if you weren't a machine, that woulda sounded very conceited. Actually, scratch that. It sounded conceited, anyway."

   "Well, there's nothing wrong with having confidence." The android replied, winking.

   They both felt very weird walking into a salon, Connor especially. He didn't even know what kind of hairstyle would look good on him. "Here's some money," Hank said, handing Connor a couple bills. "I'm goin' to the food court. Should I order somethin' for you?"

   "Yes, please," Connor replied, remembering that hunger was a thing now.

   "Cool. I'll see ya, later, then." And like that, Hank turned around and started walking towards the food court, which was on the second floor. Despite not needing to breathe, Connor caught himself taking a deep breath in and out, anyway, trying to calm his metaphorical 'nerves'. 

   Within a couple minutes of waiting, he was finally told by one of the hairdressers that it was his turn. He mustered his courage as he stepped forward, and took a seat.  
\---------------------

He'd decided to get dressed in the outfit Hank had left for him before going up to the food court to meet him. The older man had left one outfit, taking the others up to the food court with him in their bags. Connor went into the bathroom and ripped the tags off, stepped into one of the stalls, and got dressed. 

   When he stepped out of the stall, he went over to the sinks and looked in the mirror. He definitely looked more human. He felt a bit more human. He wondered if Hank would like the way he'd styled his hair, and the clothes he'd picked out.

   No time like the present to go find out, he guessed. He shoved his uniform in the bag his current outfit had once been in, and tied Hank's hoodie around his waist before going to the elevators, and going up to the second floor. There were lots of people eating, and lots of places to get food from; a Subways, a Wendy's, and a Burger King, just to name the first few that Connor saw. Hank was sitting near the McDonald's (of course, he chose the least healthy place to eat), unaware that Connor as on the same floor.

   It was quite a long walk across the room, given how big this place was, but as soon as Hank had spotted him, he basically choked on his food, having recovered by the time Connor joined him at the table. "What do you think?"

 "Looks nice on you..." Was all Hank said.

\----------------------------

  
   "So, do you plan on getting any of those other updates?" Hank asked when they got home. Connor started up on dinner. 

   "Maybe the sleep update. There are only three major updates out, for the moment, although I can't think of a use for the third one."

   "What's the third update?"

   "A sex update."

   Hank choked on air. "Jesus fuckin' Christ, those creeps at CyberLife really _did_ think of everything."

   "I don't see any use for it," Connor repeated. "I don't think I'll need it, in any case."

  "So, there's a sleep update?"

   "Yes. I won't really get 'tired', but if I choose to keep it on, some of my systems will function less the longer I'm turned on, after a certain amount of time. I assume they have it set up for sixteen hours or so since that's when humans start feeling groggy. At which point, I'll probably have to go into stasis. I assume they've made stasis mode look a bit more like actual sleeping because of the whole 'uncanny valley' thing."

   "Go on and download it, then. Um, only if you wanna, though."

   Connor would be lying if he said he wasn't curious. So, he started downloading it while he worked on dinner. It was weird, still, that he was cooking for two. "According to the update notes, it will also allow me to dream." He said randomly while cooking. Hank had taken to sitting at the table, Sumo curled at his feet while he cleaned his service gun.

   "Huh, cool," Hank said. "Lemme know if you have any. Dreams are usually pretty weird."

   "Got it," Connor replied. At that moment, the update finished downloading and asked him to put in some information. He closed the program out. It wanted to know the last time he entered stasis, which was over three days ago, and he was currently too busy to be tired. He'd put in that information when it was time for bed. 

   He soon finished making dinner, and as always, Hank loved it. Of course, he was good at cooking. He was a machine. Although he hadn't been programmed to cook, like a household android, it still hadn't been hard for him to master, given that he could measure just by eyeballing it, had a built-in timer, and perfect motor skills. "As good as always, Con. My compliments to the chef."

   "Thank you," Connor said. After that, they sat on the couch and watched TV for a little while. Connor hadn't caught what the title of what they were watching had been, given it was on cable, and the movie had been well into the plot by now, but a quick search on the internet told him it was called 'Jurassic Park'. It came out in 1993, and at this point, was considered a classic. It had four out of five stars on IMDb. The movie ended, and at that point, Hank had decided it was time for bed. 

   "We have work tomorrow." The police lieutenant said through a yawn. "Usual wake up time, Connor."

 Connor already had an alarm set for seven thirty. "Goodnight, Hank."

   "Night, Connor. Sleep tight."

   And with that, he disappeared into his room. Connor settled himself on the reclining chair since he wanted to try sleeping while laying down. He didn't want to cross the uncanny valley. He was already having a hard enough time with his identity. He fired up the sleep program, which, again, asked how long it had been since he'd last entered stasis. He lied and said it was only last night since it obviously smart enough to detect otherwise. He supposed CyberLife could only do so much, given that it's only been a month since the revolution.

   Immediately, his eyelids felt heavy, his optical units weren't processing his environment as well as usual, and his mind palace felt foggy. Huh... So this was what being tired felt like? Weird. Sumo decided he wanted to sleep on the recliner, too and hopped up onto Connor, where he promptly laid down. Connor closed his eyes, and let 'sleep' overcome him.

_And suddenly, he was somewhere familiar. A rooftop and not even ten feet away was Daniel, the deviant android, who held the little girl, Emma, over the edge. "Look what you did! You're designed to serve humans, not kill them!"_

  _"What was I designed to be?" Daniel asked, shoving the barrel of the gun to its hostage's head. "Their slave? Their toy? I just wanted them to care about me... I just wanted to matter... I just wanted to be someone..."_

   _"There's no way out, Daniel. What you've done is too serious. The only question is whether or not you take another innocent life."_

_"It's not up to you." The other android said aggressively. "I'm holding all the cards! If I die," It swung Emma even further out, completely dangling off the edge now as she screamed in fear. "she dies You hear me?!"_

_It swung her back over the ledge and pointed the gun at her again. "Urgggh... I can't stand that noise anymore! Tell that helicopter to get out of here!" It demanded, deciding now to point the gun at Connor._

_"I don't think they'd listen to me," Connor said. With every passing moment, the deviant was destabilizing. With every passing moment, it felt closer and closer to failing its mission. Already knowing that failure had been the outcome, Connor wished more than anything not to be seeing this again. "You don't really wanna jump, Daniel. Or you would've done it already. Now, hand me the gun, and this will all be over."_

  _"Don't come any closer! Come any closer, and I swear, I'll jump!"_

_Connor didn't listen. He moved closer anyway. Daniel decided to point the gun back at Emma._

   _"I've spent my life taking orders." It said. It spread its arm out, and Connor could practically see the MISSION FAILED, already. Daniel jumped, and try as it may, Connor couldn't save Emma. It watched her and the deviant fall to the ground._

   And that's when Hank woke up to screaming. Connor, his shaken and groggy mind registered dully. He fumbled to grab his gun from his nightstand before throwing his bedroom door open, and rushing to the living room, the only thing fueling him being adrenaline, only to find that, no, no one's broken into his house and started breaking his android, like his panicked mind had thought, but rather Connor is shaking, curled up in a ball on the recliner, and crying. "Con?"

   Connor doesn't reply, too shaken to speak, it seems. Hank sets the gun down, since he won't be needing it, and walks over to the recliner, putting a hand on Connor's shoulder, leaning down to his height. "Connor..."

   Connor immediately sits up and throws his arms around Hank, and for a moment, Hank is disorientated-- well, more so than he had been when he woke up to screaming. He sobs into Hank's shoulder as the human returns the hug. "It's my fault, Hank, I... I let her fall, she's dead because of me..."

   It takes the older man to register that, and he's about to ask the obvious question of 'who', until he remembers a past conversation he and Connor had about deviants, where Hank had asked him if he'd ever dealt with them before, and Connor had told him about a deviant jumping off a roof with a little girl, which he'd failed to prevent. He hadn't had emotions when that happened, and now it was coming back to bite him.

   And Hank didn't know how to help. 

   Sumo must have read the energy in the room, because the Saint Bernard jumped off the recliner, and went off to do whatever it is that Sumos do in their spare time. Hank sighed. He didn't know what to do or say, and he couldn't just leave Connor on his own. Glancing at the time displayed on the television, though, he couldn't afford to not go back to sleep. So, he did the only thing he could think of, and he picked Connor up and carried him down the hall to his room. "Hank...?"

   "You didn't think I was gonna leave you to your own devices, did you?" The human asked. That seemed a good enough answer for Connor. Hank laid the android down in his bed before flopping next to him. It felt... Weird, having another person in the bed with him after years of usually being alone, but Connor seemed to disagree, considering he basically snuggled up to Hank. "Bad dream, huh?"

   Connor nodded.

    "Try to get some more sleep." Hank sighed. "We have work in the morning."

   He didn't stay awake long enough to know whether or not Connor went back to sleep or not.

**Author's Note:**

> Edit: I don't ask for this very often, but seriously, I uploaded this a little less than twelve hours ago. It has a hundred fifty hits, I think a bookmark or two, a couple kudos, and like no comments. I don't know if that's because it's such a long fic, or just because people didn't like it enough to give it the time of day, but if you liked this, please leave a comment. I feed off of readers' approval, and I haven't really gotten that much. Thanks in advance.


End file.
